Should I start in carefully as I have a torn meniscus? It's a moderate problem that flares at times, but I've avoid much leg work as a result

Proceed with extreme caution. And I would recommend if anything at all. Do a starting strength or strong lifts linear type progression beginning on an empty bar to assess tolerance.

Before you do anything I would consult a sports medicine doctor. One familiar with training. Not a family medicine doc. A lot of family medicine docs are against weight training due to the injuries they see without paying attention to what specifically causes them.

It comes down to form really. A correctly performed low bar back squat is safe for knees. If the form is incorrect, it is less safe. Either way squatting in this manner is better for you're knees than leg extensions. The load is balanced with all of the support ligaments of the knee and the hip/hamstrings work synergistically with the quads for a balanced maneuver. Leg extensions. Place all of the load on the patellar tendon and the anterior ligaments of the knee.

But. Again. If you have a torn meniscus I would contact an orthopedic specialist or sports medicine doctor to assess the risk of weight training with your injury. Even correct form and appropriate load can worsen it if it's bad enough. I'd get it corrected and cleared before you try anything.

Regarding squats, my history is primarily running and I'm making a transition whereby my primary focus will be lifting. BTW, I'm extremely inflexible, i.e. 3-4 inches from being able to touch toes.

I can do deadlifts with no issues. However squatting to parallel is extremely difficult, and I'd like to be able to do those (I can do partial but not all the way down). Will DL's suffice to gain strength and size in legs, or do I need to get assistance on squats and add those to my routine?

Not meaning to hijack thread...seems more appropriate to add on to this one than create new one.

You absolutely need to squat if you're goal is a comprehensive leg workout. Deadlifts are good but squats are better leg strength, in my experience.

In regards to being flexible... play with your stance a little bit and lower the weight. Most people put too much weight on and they can't comforably control the weight down into parallel (or slightly below).

Everyone is a little bit different but I prefer a little wider stance on squats (outside of shoulders, slightly) and toes pointed slightly outward. A lot of new people squatting tend to setup really narrow... keep an eye on how you setup and don't be afraid to ask someone for a form check. I've learned some good pointers doing just that.

Absolutely! Stay the hell away from leg extensions. If you must, go light and/or go light and single leg.

Forgot to add, work on stretching your hips and hip flexors.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Absolutely! Stay the hell away from leg extensions. If you must, go light and/or go light and single leg.

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Personally I recommend NO single leg with a torn meniscus, at least not early on. I went through this last fall. A round of single legs was the nail in the coffin that resulted in six weeks of absolute rest.

From there I mainly started with body weight stuff (squats, lunges). I picked up a wobble board and used it daily. Over a few months I started adding dumbbells, then eventually moving to machine squats.

Things are pretty much back to normal now (knock on wood). Just don't rush it. Take time to build up all of the supporting leg muscles.

Last tip - get a lightweight brace for early on. I grabbed one of these. It just gives some added stability to get you going.

I was hesitant on suggesting that because of the meniscus tear... I think it's a good rule to follow even if you have perfectly healthy knees.

Another good excercise, I have no idea if it is a wise idea to do with a torn meniscus or not, single leg box squats with body weight. You can even do it in a squat rack with a band or bands to hold onto for stability at first. Really good for a warm up or cool down excercise.